A weeklong craving for desserts and health food led my sister, my mother, and me on a thirty block trek to Kyotofu after our first family outing in the longest. The Japanese dessert bar and bakery withheld a modern dining room enclosed by a massive two story ceiling and inviting white, cushioned seats. We would soon find out that in its timid kitchen lies some less-than-mediocre savory dishes, perhaps to magnify our satisfaction with the desserts after a line-up of bland, ordinary starters and mains.
I ordered curry rice with additional kurobuta (pork) sausage topping (2 dollar supp.), which the waiter made sound like something special but was nothing more than startlingly pink hot dog meat. The curry was essentially MSG-saturated instant curry. Luckily, such a curry is comforting, and we quickly finished the bowl due to the long wait (despite the rather empty dining room.)
The arugula salad was light and barely filling. The scoop of fresh delicate tofu on top was delicious with the sesame soy dressing, but the greens were almost inedible due to the lack of fat and acidity in the dressing. The sweet soy highlighted the bitterness rather than the pepperiness of the arugula. The cold "caramelized" onion bits were completely tasteless and burnt.
The almond brioche came with shots of creme anglaise, fresh strawberry jam, and bacon. The brioche was flaky and soft and made for a nice starter although there was a curiously strong almond extract scent encircling our table after this dish arrived. My sister, a bread fanatic, eagerly sopped up the jam with the remaining bread while my mom, when the waiter turned his back, mischievously took the shot of creme like one would take a shot of alcohol.
To start off dessert...
The green tea brûlée, with ginger pear sorbet, had a smooth creamy texture but the green tea flavor didn't come through entirely. The sorbet had a very strong ginger essence and seemed like it could've been a separate dessert on its own.
The kuro goma sweet tofu, or black sesame tofu "panna cotta" was the agreed favorite. This is what this place should be, and is, known for. The tofu, which came slightly sweetened, was accompanied by a shot of hijo-cha (green tea) syrup, although the subtle tea flavor got lost in the creamy nutty custard. I nibbled on the the crisp white sesame cookie between mouthfuls of silky deliciousness.
The white sesame and strawberry soymilk soft serve came with miso caramel, green tea mochi, and granola. None of the toppings were special, especially the stale mochi, but the delicately flavored soft serve stood on its own. "Nothing you can't get at an ordinary ice cream shop,"commented my mother, who seemed to enjoy the granola more than the ice cream itself.
We all enjoyed the latter half of the meal, which ended with complementary buttery black sesame short bread cookies. Even my mother, who was never fond of sweet things, enjoyed the recurring flavor of sesame and the desserts overall. The entrees were disappointing and unsatisfying and the complementary blood mary cocktail was watery. I will be back next time I feel like splurging on dessert while comfortably seated in a spacious dining room on plushy white cushions.
705 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019
